Source: SKY_Sports
West Ham v Liverpool live!
92 Neill makes a telling interception as Babel looks to run onto Gerrard's long pass.[LNB]91 Gerrard floats a corner into the area but the ball is thumped clear.[LNB]90 The crowd is still in fine voice. West Ham have shown plenty of spirit today despite being behind from the second minute.[LNB]88 Neill and Dossena exchange a couple of very tough challenges, clashing like a pair of mountain-goats before the Liverpool man is penalised for quite simply kicking Neill's legs out from under him.[LNB]87 West Ham are not giving up, fighting to the very end even though this game is surely over.[LNB]86 Gerrard runs at the West Ham defence and shapes to take a shot. Upson slides in with a challenge so good the Liverpool skipper congratulates him in the aftermath.[LNB]84 GOAL BABEL: On the break Gerrard pops the ball out wide to Kuyt. He spots Babel unmarked on the far post and picks him out with a perfect cross. Babel's first header is well saved by Green but he's helpless to do anything about the follow-up shot, which Babel taps in with his left foot.[LNB]82 Benayoun is the next player to depart the field as Andrea Dossena comes on.[LNB]81 The Hammers break on the left but the eventual cross is too long for Tristan and they're forced back into their own half.[LNB]79 Boa Morte, who looks very, very sulky, comes off with Josh Payne getting a run-out in his place.[LNB]78 Mascherano goes down very easily after a nudge in the back from Boa Morte. The referee gives him a stern talking-to but leaves it at that.[LNB]76 It seems Mascherano was booked a couple of minutes ago, an event that I missed completely.[LNB]75 Liverpool look to hit on the break as Gerrard passes to Mascherano and sets off upfield at great speed. The Argentine misreads his intentions though and cuts infield where he runs into trouble and slows the move down.[LNB]74 Upson drives to the byline but loses his balance and goes down in installments as he tries his utmost to stay on his feet and get a cross in. The result is a Liverpool goal-kick.[LNB]73 The game is going through a lull and the crowd has gone very quiet as a result. Benayoun gives them something to shout about when he lunges at Noble. There's not much contact but the intent was certainly there.[LNB]71 Ryan Babel comes on to replace Torres in the Liverpool attack.[LNB]70 Skrtel is forced to concede a corner as West Ham pour men forward. They take it short but but the lineman has spotted someone in an offside position.[LNB]69 Di Michele makes way for Freddie Sears.[LNB]68 Liverpool string together a sequence of passes that leads to Kuyt picking out Gerrard inside the penalty area. He completely misses the ball as he attempts to shoot first time.[LNB]67 Torres chases after the ball on the right and accidentally catches Tomkins in the process, gifting West Ham a free-kick.[LNB]65 Boa Morte looks to buy another cheap foul after losing control of the ball but this time the referee isn't interested.[LNB]63 Tristan beats the offside trap and gets a touch on a looping ball over the top but only sends it straight at Reina.[LNB]62 Neill takes on Mascherano and comes off second best as the Argentine calmly takes the ball off him and sets Liverpool on their way upfield.[LNB]60 Torres, Gerrard and Kuyt race forward and the Liverpool skipper picks out the Dutch,man on the right. He shoots from a tight angle and Green gets enough of a hand on the ball to send it sailing over the crossbar. The resulting corner comes to nothing.[LNB]59 Skrtel goes straight through Boa Morte and then coplains when the referee awards the Hammers a free-kick. Noble takes it from the right but Liverpool break.[LNB]58 Stanislas makes way for Jack Collison as Gianfranco Zola makes his first change.[LNB]57 Gerrard forces a sharp save from Green after Torres dummies and lets the ball run to him just outside the area.[LNB]57 Emiliano Insua comes on to replace Aurelio.[LNB]56 West Ham are seeing plenty of the ball inside their own half. They run into a solid wall of defenders when they venture forward though.[LNB]54 Keelan Varian is a big fan of Gerrard: "Its incredible how important Gerrard is to Liverpool, Best English player in the world? undoubtedly......Rooney...........who?"[LNB]53 Kuyt and Torres link up again down the right. Kuyt crosses the ball in and Torres heads goalwards but it lacks power and falls on top of the goal.[LNB]52 Boa Morte draws Arbeloa in and wins a free-kick on the right. The ball is played to Stanislas outside the area but his shot takes a deflection and goes out for a corner that comes to nothing.[LNB]51 Kuyt crosses from the right to Benayoun on the far post. He takes a shot on the volley and sends it over both Green and the goal.[LNB]50 Upson gets the crowd hooting and hollering when he disrobes on the side of the pitch for a change of shorts and shirt.[LNB]49 Kuyt and Torres link up with a series of fine passes before Arbeloa sends a cross in from the right. Gerrard runs onto the pass but then scoops it straight at Green. I think he was looking to chip it to Torres when a shot may have been the better option.[LNB]48 Ilunga's ball into the box is unceremoniously booted clear by Carragher.[LNB]47 The half has started rather scrappily with two throw-ins in as many minutes and plenty of aimlessly directed headers flying back and forth.[LNB]46 The Hammers get the second half under way.[LNB]48 If you've followed my pre-match advice and bet on Torres to score first I apologise. My somewhat foggy crystal ball says that there will be more goals in the second half. Di Michele looks a good bet at 14/1 although Gerrard has looked in regal form and a 13/2 bet on him netting another looks a sound investment. Go to ww.skybet.com to place your bets.[LNB]48 The half ends with the West Ham players still protesting to the the referee about the perceived injustice of the second goal. Liverpool won't mind how the goals come, as long as they can keep the pressure on Manchester United.[LNB]47 Torres beats Neill to a header in the Hammers' penalty area and almost scores a freak goal as the ball loops over Green and goes inches over the crossbar. The replay shows it came off the Liverpool striker's shoulder.[LNB]46 Ilunga beats Arbeloa on the wing but his touch is heavy and, once he sees Carragher will get to the ball first, he appeals for a foul. Alan Wiley is having none of it though.[LNB]44 That was a great chance for West Ham to pull a goal back. It just doesn't look like it's going to be their day as Torres comes close at the other end.[LNB]43 A horrid mistake by Carragher sets Di Michele free on goal. He has only Reina to beat but somehow contrives to fall over his own feet as he rounds the Liverpool keeper. He throws out a foot and tries to win a penalty but his only reward is a yellow-card for diving.[LNB]42 Kovac is booked for dissent after Boa Morte fouls Lucas.[LNB]41 Noble tries to set Boa Morte free down the right as the Hammers attack on the break but underhits his pass, allowing Mascherano and Lucas to track back.[LNB]39 Neill floats a free-kick into the Liverpool penalty area where Kovac rises well but sends his header wide of goal.[LNB]37 GOAL GERRARD: Green saves Gerrard's initial shot low on his right but can only palm the ball back across goal. Gerrard follows up and hits it home.[LNB]35 Benayoun chips the ball into the area and Boa Morte pulls down Torres as he races towards the ball. West Ham are incensed as they feel they should have won a free-kick in the build-up.[LNB]34 Skrtel intercepts Di Michele's intended through-ball and is heavily fouled for his trouble. Di Michele is lucky not to pick up a booking as the challenge was both late and high.[LNB]33 David Di Michele goes on a great run straight down the middle and almost fashions a shooting chance before Lucas slides in with a well-timed challenge to scupper his chances.[LNB]31 Stanislas chipe the ball over the Liverpool defence for Tristan to chase but Reina reads his intentions and comes off his line to claim.[LNB]30 Almost all of West Ham's attacks are coming down the left through Ilunga and Noble.[LNB]29 Gerrard plays the ball back to Reina after a West Ham throw-in.[LNB]28 Liverpool play the ball from the West Ham half all the way back to Reina as West Ham close them down quickly.[LNB]26 Xavier Mascherano wins the ball in his own half and sets Gerrard on his way. The Reds skipper picks out Benayoun who should shoot with his left foot but tries to cut it across to his stronger right, allowing Neill to make the tackle.[LNB]25 Noble skins Alvaro Arbeloa on the left but is held back and wins a promising free-kick. He takes it himself and finds Kovac who heads it over the crossbar with Reina commited to coming off his line.[LNB]24 The Hammers launch a sweeping counter-attack that ends with Stanislas firing his cross from the left straight into touch on the other side of the pitch.[LNB]23 West Ham are seeing more of the ball as the game opens up but they're still struggling to fashion any chances on goal.[LNB]22 Gerrard takes the free-kick from about ten-yards outside the box. He hits it well enough but the shot lacks accuracy and rockets high over the goal.[LNB]20 James Tomkins takes out Torres in tandem with Neill and both receive some stern words from the referee.[LNB]19 Reina fires a free-kick upfield and the Hammers are caught out again. Gerrard tries to slide the ball through to Torres but Neill gets a toe to it and the move comes to aught.[LNB]18 Boa Morte breaks into the penalty area but takes far too long in deciding whether to shoot or pass and is eventually crowded off the ball by about four Liverpool players.[LNB]16 Gerrard collects Kovac's mishit pass and picks out Torres with a raking crossfield ball. The Spaniard holds it up well as he waits for Kuyt to arrive but the Dutchman promptly loses possession.[LNB]15 Boa Motre attempts the ball over the top but overhits it and Reina can get Liverpoool started from the back again.[LNB]14 The corner falls to Torres after a bit of a scramble and he fires his shot from the left high and wide of goal.[LNB]13 Torres is bundled over by Radoslav Kovac just inside the West Ham half and wins a free-kick. Kuyt takes the ball to the byline and wins a corner off Herita Ilunga.[LNB]12 Lucas Leiva fouls Tristan 40-yards out. Noble plays the ball into the penalty area where Tristan nods it goalwards but Pepe Reina follows it all the way and smothers the ball.[LNB]11 The Hammers win another attacking throw-in.[LNB]10 Luis Boa Morte floats a cross in from the right, looking to find Diego Tristan, but the ball is headed clear by Jamie Carragher.[LNB]9 West Ham are seeing very little of the ball at the moment as Liverpool pass it around comfortably in their own half.[LNB]8 Benayoun runs at the Hammers' defence, draws two men and tries to chip it through to Torres but the move comes to nothing.[LNB]6 West Ham win a throw-in in an attacking position but Martin Skrtel clears the ball.[LNB]5 Matthew Upson dallies on the ball just outside his own penalty area and is tackled by Yossi Benayoun who tries to pick out Torres with a tight pass that is intercepted by Lucas Neill.[LNB]3 West Ham will need to regroup quickly as they look shaken and Torres almost gets through after latching onto a Dirk Kuyt pass.[LNB]2 GOAL GERRARD: Well that didn't take long. Torres slides a perfectly weighted pass through the Hammers defence to where Gerrard had timed his run. The Liverpool skipper collects the ball, calmly rounds Robert Green and strokes into an empty net from the right.[LNB]1 The game gets underway at a packed Upton Park. Steven Gerrard touches it on to Fernando Torres to get proceedings started.[LNB] Ben Keraro also backs Liverpool: "Liverpool cannot lose this game. West Ham have a big challenge but they have proved to be more than capable to hang in there. I however feel Liverpool will be too much for them and they should not feel ashamed going down to such a good team. I wanted Liverpool to win this season because they have had the best team in a long time.There is every good chance they will still be in Europe for the Europa League. Liverpool will win 4-0 with a brace from Torres and a goal each from Gerrard and Kuyt."[LNB] Liverpool fan Lewis Whalley gets the ball rolling with this positive prediction: "Hi, I think liverpool will run out comfortable winners 3 -1. Benayoun against his former club and Gerrard to get the other 2. I would also like to see Philip Degan, I have a feeling he has great potential."[LNB]Pre-match info: Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is back in the starting line-up after missing the win over Newcastle with a hamstring injury. He returns to replace Albert Riera, while Martin Skrtel comes in for Daniel Agger.[LNB]Rafael Benitez makes one other change as Xabi Alonso was injured by Joey Barton's reckless tackle during the Newcastle game, so Lucas Leiva comes into midfield.[LNB]West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola picks the same starting XI that defeated Stoke last week[LNB] With Fernando Torres returning for the Reds it looks a good bet to back him to score the first goal of the game at 4/1. The Hammers' Diego Tristan comes in at longer odds of 9/1. The game will almost certainly produce goals but if you think otherwise, a bet on a 0-0 draw will get you odds of 10/1. For these and a host of other markets make your way to www.skybet.com.[LNB] The teams are in:[LNB]West Ham: Green, Neill, Tomkins, Upson, Ilunga, Boa Morte, Noble, Kovac, Stanislas, Di Michele, Tristan Subs: Lastuvka, Lopez, Nsereko, Spector, Collison, Sears, Payne[LNB]Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio, Benayoun, Mascherano, Lucas, Gerrard, Kuyt, Torres Subs: Cavalieri, Dossena, Hyypia, Babel, Insua, Ngog, Degen[LNB] Welcome to you all for today's clash between West Ham and Liverpool. Both sides have plenty to play for. A place in Europe is still within the Hammers' reach while Liverpool retain hopes of pipping Manchester United to the Premier League title, albeit hopes that are becoming increasingly slim. Send your thoughts on proceedings to justin.zehmke@teamtalkmedia.co.za and I'll post the best ones, time and events on the pitch permitting of course.[LNB]
